It is 10.42pm and I have been spring-cleaning the house since 7.30am! I woke up at 6.35am, bathed the Peach-Faced Lovebird and Sasha. After that it was cleaning and cleaning and cleaning! I may be blogging now but I am not done yet. I am still waiting for my brother to finish his side of the packing so that I can mop the whole house after that. I do not know what time he will be done but it will definitely be into the wee hours of the morning. Ahhh!!!!!!!
You will be shocked at the amount of things we had to throw away and they are scary!!! First of all, the store-room - the one place where I dare not open the door. If I do, I will face an avalanche. Yes! In Potong Pasir there is such a calamity!
I have been enduring the amount of rubbish my parents and brother have been storing up and this morning I told every one I would be throwing a lot of things and a lot we did - 13 big cartons of unwanted stuff which have been kept in the store-room for more than 10 years. Guess what?! I found 4 blenders, two coffee-makers, two ovens and 3 woks!!! They are not old, mind you. New! I was shocked when I opened several boxes labelled appliances!
A few occasions I had to buy new ones to replace those which have broken down, not knowing that there are so many in the store-room. Anyway, I got rid of all of them by giving them to the Salvation Army. If you do see a few Tefal appliances at the Family Shop along Upper Serangoon Road, those would be mine.
I had to also throw away mum's collection of bags. Can you imagine this? More than 50 over bags and more than a third not used. Every bag I planned to throw, she would say she will use it but those bags have been in the cupboard for over 10 years. Hmmm... what's with the "I will use it"? Anyway, those which looked okay I kept but I threw away more than half of them. Likewise for her clothes, dad's and bro's! All to the Salvation Army!
Haha! My neighbours thought that the family is going to move house when they saw the boxes along the corridor but when I told them they are rubbish, they almost fainted!
Well, the house looks like a house again! Air is so much fresher! Less dust flying around and more space for one to walk about. Man!
Anyway, as much as I did the above spring-cleaning of my home, over the weekend I let God did some spring-cleaning of my life. I attended the Youth Ministry's "Encounter '09" Spiritual Retreat at my church. I went as a mentor to my younger siblings-in-Christ but I also needed God to mentor me especially during this difficult period at home.
My life seems to be in a mess with loads of rubbish to repent from. Well, I did not regret attending this three-day get-away from home and I have to say this - I ENCOUNTERED GOD! In fact, all the youths encountered Him! Throughout the three days, we have been given a lot of time to do personal reflections and that really allowed us to be still and know that God is present.
Yesterday was the last day. In the morning we spent the time praising God and also sharing of testimonies on how God has spoken to us. After that we went into more time of praise and that was when the floodgates of heaven opened and every youth in the room began to wept and being ministered by the Holy Spirit. I came across the Asbury Revival which Pastor Barnabas showed the church during the Holy Week service - well, yesterday the same thing happened! We could not stopped praising God. Many youths fell onto their knees in awe of God's presence. Many of them renounced their sins. Many of them were released from the pressure they have been facing in school and at home. Many decided to have a closer relationship with God. Many decided to build a closer tie with the other youths in the ministry. Youths were praying with and for one another. They were hugging each other. They were embracing each other.
The above may sound common especially for churches who have been experiencing this week after week but for the church I am in, it is rare. Hence, yesterday's encounter with God was new to many! I had to pray for some youths and as I touched them, I just wept along with them. It felt as if I could sense what they are going through and that was when I started interceding for them. Words of encouragement poured forth.
All thanks and praise to God for His mercy on my church and on the Youth Ministry. I believer many, if not all, their lives will never be the same again. Another strong evident of the presence of God in the Upper Room where we were in was this boy who did not join the retreat but came to join in the time of praise and worship. Though he did not know what we have been doing but during the time of prayer, he too wept. He too began to praise God. Surely, God was in our midst! Hallelujah!
Well, nothing new came up in my own time of reflection except two passages God reminded me of - Phillippians 4:6-7 and Psalm 46:10.
Though I know these two passages, my eyes opened and my heart refreshed, My mind began to unclog and my body rejuvenated.
God is awesome! He is awesome!
Okie, time to stop here! I am all set to mop the house! ;)
Good night, every one and have a great week of adventure ahead!
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7
"Be still, and know that I am God..." Psalm 46:10a
You will be shocked at the amount of things we had to throw away and they are scary!!! First of all, the store-room - the one place where I dare not open the door. If I do, I will face an avalanche. Yes! In Potong Pasir there is such a calamity!
I have been enduring the amount of rubbish my parents and brother have been storing up and this morning I told every one I would be throwing a lot of things and a lot we did - 13 big cartons of unwanted stuff which have been kept in the store-room for more than 10 years. Guess what?! I found 4 blenders, two coffee-makers, two ovens and 3 woks!!! They are not old, mind you. New! I was shocked when I opened several boxes labelled appliances!
A few occasions I had to buy new ones to replace those which have broken down, not knowing that there are so many in the store-room. Anyway, I got rid of all of them by giving them to the Salvation Army. If you do see a few Tefal appliances at the Family Shop along Upper Serangoon Road, those would be mine.
I had to also throw away mum's collection of bags. Can you imagine this? More than 50 over bags and more than a third not used. Every bag I planned to throw, she would say she will use it but those bags have been in the cupboard for over 10 years. Hmmm... what's with the "I will use it"? Anyway, those which looked okay I kept but I threw away more than half of them. Likewise for her clothes, dad's and bro's! All to the Salvation Army!
Haha! My neighbours thought that the family is going to move house when they saw the boxes along the corridor but when I told them they are rubbish, they almost fainted!
Well, the house looks like a house again! Air is so much fresher! Less dust flying around and more space for one to walk about. Man!
Anyway, as much as I did the above spring-cleaning of my home, over the weekend I let God did some spring-cleaning of my life. I attended the Youth Ministry's "Encounter '09" Spiritual Retreat at my church. I went as a mentor to my younger siblings-in-Christ but I also needed God to mentor me especially during this difficult period at home.
My life seems to be in a mess with loads of rubbish to repent from. Well, I did not regret attending this three-day get-away from home and I have to say this - I ENCOUNTERED GOD! In fact, all the youths encountered Him! Throughout the three days, we have been given a lot of time to do personal reflections and that really allowed us to be still and know that God is present.
Yesterday was the last day. In the morning we spent the time praising God and also sharing of testimonies on how God has spoken to us. After that we went into more time of praise and that was when the floodgates of heaven opened and every youth in the room began to wept and being ministered by the Holy Spirit. I came across the Asbury Revival which Pastor Barnabas showed the church during the Holy Week service - well, yesterday the same thing happened! We could not stopped praising God. Many youths fell onto their knees in awe of God's presence. Many of them renounced their sins. Many of them were released from the pressure they have been facing in school and at home. Many decided to have a closer relationship with God. Many decided to build a closer tie with the other youths in the ministry. Youths were praying with and for one another. They were hugging each other. They were embracing each other.
The above may sound common especially for churches who have been experiencing this week after week but for the church I am in, it is rare. Hence, yesterday's encounter with God was new to many! I had to pray for some youths and as I touched them, I just wept along with them. It felt as if I could sense what they are going through and that was when I started interceding for them. Words of encouragement poured forth.
All thanks and praise to God for His mercy on my church and on the Youth Ministry. I believer many, if not all, their lives will never be the same again. Another strong evident of the presence of God in the Upper Room where we were in was this boy who did not join the retreat but came to join in the time of praise and worship. Though he did not know what we have been doing but during the time of prayer, he too wept. He too began to praise God. Surely, God was in our midst! Hallelujah!
Well, nothing new came up in my own time of reflection except two passages God reminded me of - Phillippians 4:6-7 and Psalm 46:10.
Though I know these two passages, my eyes opened and my heart refreshed, My mind began to unclog and my body rejuvenated.
God is awesome! He is awesome!
Okie, time to stop here! I am all set to mop the house! ;)
Good night, every one and have a great week of adventure ahead!
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7
"Be still, and know that I am God..." Psalm 46:10a
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